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Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, was a country located in West Asia, bordering Russia, Iran, Armenia and Georgia. It also shared a border with the Caspian Sea. The country was annexed by Iran following the Caucasus War in 2016. History Post Soviet-Era On 18 October 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopted a Declaration of Independence which was affirmed by a nationwide referendum in December 1991, when the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. The early years of independence were overshadowed by the Nagorno-Karabakh War with the ethnic Armenian majority of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia. By the end of hostilities in 1994, Armenians controlled up to 14–16 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh itself. During the war many atrocities were committed including the massacre at Malibeyli and Gushchular, the Garadaghly, Agdaban and the Khojaly massacres. Furthermore, an estimated 30,000 people had been killed and more than a million people had been displaced. Four United Nations Security Council Resolutions demanded for "the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan." Many Russians and Armenians left Azerbaijan during the 1990s. In 1993, democratically elected president Abulfaz Elchibey was overthrown by a military insurrection led by Colonel Surat Huseynov, which resulted in the rise to power of the former leader of Soviet Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. In 1994, Surat Huseynov, by that time a prime minister, attempted another military coup against Heydar Aliyev, but Huseynov was arrested and charged with treason. A year later, in 1995, another coup was attempted against Aliyev, this time by the commander of the OMON special unit, Rovshan Javadov. The coup was averted, resulting in the killing of the latter and disbanding of Azerbaijan's OMON units. At the same time, the country was tainted by rampant corruption in the governing bureaucracy.104 In October 1998, Aliyev was reelected for a second term. Despite the much improved economy, particularly with the exploitations of Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field and Shah Deniz gas field, Aliyev's presidency was criticized due to suspected vote fraud and corruption. Ilham Aliyev, the son of Heydar Aliyev, assumed as the chairmen of the New Azerbaijan Party as well as the office of presidency when his father died in 2003. He was reelected to a third term as president in October 2013. He then launched a crackdown on opposition elements. In November, he put two prominent opponents on trial for inciting riots ten months earlier: Ilgar Mammadov, the chairman of the opposition Republican Alternative (REAL); and Ilgar Mammadov, the deputy chairman of the New Equality Party (Musavat). In addition the dissident Islamic theologian Taleh Bagirzada was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The opposition newspaper Azadiq was closed down. Three men were sentenced to life in prison on charges of plotting attacks in Baku in a conspiracy with Iran. Caucasus War See Full Article: Caucasus War In late July and early August of 2016, tensions erupted once more between Armenia and Azerbaijan concerning the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, with skirmishes occurring all along the de-facto border. In August, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met in Moscow to discuss the rising tensions. Iran and Russia issued a joint deceleration calling for a referendum on the status of the region. On 18 August, a Russian-overseen referendum takes place in Nagorno-Karabkh takes place, with the region voting overwhelmingly to join Armenia. Azerbaijan refused to acknowledge the results, calling them "false" and "illegal". The Armenian government began to siphon oil and gas from the Nabucco pipeline. In response, Azerbaijan cut the flow of oil and gas completely. Armenia launched new attacks against Azerbaijani forces, and accused the Azerbaijanis of firing first. On 24 August, both sides began using artillery strikes. Russian Sukhoi PAK-FA/T-50 fighters began striking Azerbaijani positions the following day, leading Azerbaijan to declare war on Russia and Armenia. Russia moved 5,000 troops via helicopter to Armenia, violating the airspace of neutral Georgia. This action was followed up with a Russian incursion into Georgia, claiming it was "reinforcing" its "humanitarian mission" in Armenia. The Georgian government put up little protest and allowed the Russians to occupy the country. On 28 August, Iranian military units invaded the Nakhchivan exclave, in order to secure "Armenia's southern flank". The following day, Iranian forces invaded Azerbaijan proper. On 1 September, Iranian forces easily overran Baku. Iran announced the annexation of Azerbaijan the following day. Government and Politics The government of Azerbaijan was based on the separation of powers among the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The legislative power was held by the unicameral National Assembly and the Supreme National Assembly in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Parliamentary elections were held every five years, on the first Sunday of November. The Yeni Azerbaijan Party, and independents loyal to the ruling government, held almost all of the Parliament's 125 seats. During the 2010 Parliamentary election, the opposition parties, Musavat and Azerbaijani Popular Front Party, failed to win a single seat. European observers found numerous irregularities in the run-up to the election and on election day. The executive power was held by the President, who was elected for a 5-year term by direct elections, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. The president was authorized to form the Cabinet, a collective executive body, accountable to both the President and the National Assembly. The Cabinet of Azerbaijan consisted primarily of the Prime Minister, his Deputies and Ministers. The president did not have the right to dissolve the National Assembly, but he had the right to veto its decisions. To override the presidential veto, the parliament had to have a majority of 95 votes. The judicial power was vested in the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and the Economic Court. The President nominated the judges in these courts. Foreign Relations The process of international recognition of Azerbaijan's independence from the collapsing Soviet Union lasted roughly one year. Full diplomatic relations, including mutual exchanges of missions, were first established with Turkey, Pakistan, the United States, Iran and Israel. Azerbaijan had placed a particular emphasis on its "Special Relationship" with Turkey. Azerbaijan was an active member of international coalitions fighting international terrorism. The country contributing to peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Azerbaijan was an active member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. It also maintained good relations with the European Union and could have potentially one day apply for membership Administrative Divisions Azerbaijan was divided into 10 economic regions; 66 rayons and 77 cities of which 12 were under the direct authority of the republic. Moreover, Azerbaijan included the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. The President of Azerbaijan appointed the governors of these units, while the government of Nakhchivan was elected and approved by the parliament of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Military In 2002, Azerbaijan had 95,000 active personnel in its armed forces. There were also 17,000 paramilitary troops. The armed forces had three branches: the Land Forces, the Air Forces and the Navy. Additionally the armed forces embraced several military sub-groups that could be involved in state defense when needed. These were the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Border Service, which includes the Coast Guard as well. The Azerbaijan National Guard was a further paramilitary force. It operated as a semi-independent entity of the Special State Protection Service, an agency subordinate to the President. Azerbaijan adhered to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and signed all major international arms and weapons treaties. Economy Two-thirds of Azerbaijan was rich in oil and natural gas. The region of the Lesser Caucasus accounts for most of the country's gold, silver, iron, copper, titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, complex ore and antimony. In September 1994, a 30-year contract was signed between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and 13 oil companies, among them Amoco, BP, ExxonMobil, Lukoil and Statoil. Azerbaijan had the largest agricultural basin in the region. About 54.9 percent of Azerbaijan is agricultural lands. At the beginning of 2007 there were 4,755,100 hectares of utilized agricultural area. In the same year the total wood resources counted 136 million m³.161 Azerbaijan's agricultural scientific research institutes are focused on meadows and pastures, horticulture and subtropical crops, green vegetables, viticulture and wine-making, cotton growing and medicinal plants.